Vegas Report: New York-New York, The Smaller, Friendlier Hotel with the Big City Name

By Wayne Hall Jun 22, 2011, 19:21 GMT

It\'s like a night in the Big Apple, but on the Strip. That\'s how I felt at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Wayne Hall is Monsters and Critics' 'go-to' comic/graphic novel and sci-fi expert. He regularly recaps the TV series "Bones," and "Warehouse 13," and has his own Comics Odyssey column on our site. Hall recently went on an excellent adventure to review two Las Vegas hotels.

It's like a night in the Big Apple, but on the Strip. That's how I felt at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
 
I was with a group of bloggers (people who write articles for various websites) from around the country invited to enjoy and share with others what the hotel has to offer. Wherever we went, we were called "The Bloggers," which many of us liked, actually.
 
New York-New York is the smallest hotel on the Strip, but don't let that fool you! It has a big heart and a very friendly, professional staff ... as well as some guests who were happy to share their opinions about the hotel with me.
 
Many of the people I spoke with vacation there at least three or four times a year. They like that the staff remembers their names and welcomes their friends visiting for the first time with that same level of courtesy.
 
I felt right at home at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino.
 
Underneath what looks like a starlit sky, I found slots alongside games based on pop culture icons like Star Wars and American Idol just beyond the hotel’s lobby. Then there’s the Party Pit and the beautiful dancing girls to enhance your gambling experience. Very fine!
 
Outside is a large pool where guests can cool off on a warm day.

 
We ate dinner at the Nine Fine Irishmen, an authentic Irish pub/restaurant originally constructed in Ireland, taken apart and then re-constructed inside the hotel. It’s a very impressive “building within a hotel.” We enjoyed big dinner portions (My tasty chicken pot pie actually came in a pot.) in a fun atmosphere with authentic Irish music. Oh, and we met Vinnie The Man there, too.
 
Who’s Vinnie The Man? He’s Italian to the core, and he’s like a concierge in that he offers suggestions to visitors about where to eat and what shows to see if they aren’t sure what to do next. He considers everyone there family.

 
We then enjoyed Zumanity, a Cirque du Soleil show that celebrates the sensual/sexual aspects of life. The performers were superb, eliciting many laughs, “ooohhs” and “aaahhs” from the audience. I still can’t believe the human body can do some of the things they did--that’s what I call flexible!
 
The Bar At Times Square is located in a section of the hotel resembling several NYC streets, including Broadway and Fifth avenues. The bar has dueling pianos--two pianos facing each other. We all sang along with the classic songs we knew and clapped to the ones we didn’t. When one performer asked for men to come and serenade a woman having her bachelorette party there that night, we all did our best crooning “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” to her, but I think she still tied the knot the next day anyway.
 
Next it was on to the ROK Vegas nightclub, where today’s music and dancing ruled. The group had a lot of fun there!
 
Of course, there are many more restaurants, attractions and shops to check out!

 
The spacious rooms were very hospitable. While I enjoyed mine (complete with relaxing spa), I did have two suggestions to make. First, being a blogger, I hook up to the Web right away when I’m getting settled. I didn’t find the instructions to connect to the Internet clear, but the staff helped me with that. I know the system was new, but better directions would be helpful. Second, when I turned on the TV to hear some news, I found that stations were only identified by “001,” “002,” and so on—there was no way to know what channel I was viewing. A little additional code would help, like “Fox” or “MSNBC.”
 
So, what’s it like to be a guest at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino? I’ll quote a woman who frequently stays there. She told me, “This place is great! It's got everything I love about the Big Apple with much less hustle and bustle!"
 
To enter the sweepstakes to win a weekend at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, go to this LINK